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Thursday, December 31, 2015

I've never signed up for a reading challenge before. Yes, that's right. I read when I read. Sometimes, weeks pass by without a page turned, and other times -- like the past week -- I devour five full-length novels and a few novellas in a short amount of time. (Ah, the pleasures of time off!)

Anyway, when I came across this extra-special challenge from Herding Cats & Burning Soup, I had to play along. Can't wait to expand those erotic reading horizons, and maybe even explore some new territory in my own work.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Well I sucked at
the savings plan! We ended the year with about $7 in the kitty! Where did we go
wrong?

The idea is to
put a $1 in the first week, $2 in the second week and so on, until you reach
$52 in the last week. At the end, you’re supposed to end up with $1,378.

From the weekly
markings, it looks like we did well for about three months, and then fell off.
One issue is we attempted to keep up two plans – one for the Teen and one for
me, which means me contributing the funds for both. At this time, my daughter
suggested we combine and we did.

The biggest
problem? First, it started as making change for larger bills, and then we began
to “borrow” for special outings. Soon, we stopped putting in, and the rest is
history.

So how did you
do? Anyone succeed? Who’s going to try again in 2016? Maybe we should use a
container that can’t be opened!

If you’re
interested, here’s a cool Pinterest board with various charts:

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Sometimes the
flashiest present isn’t the best one. A good-loving elf story from Lily Vega is
going to be a new tradition. (She better keep writing them). Last year, readers
met Maisy and Zed in Naughty, Naughty
(Peppermint Twist) and this year, bad-boy Brody gets his tale in Wicked Game (Reindeer Games).

When Santa
brings in two new female elves, Brody is instantly drawn to the saucy and
seductive, dark-haired beauty Beryl, but he gets paired up with the demure “wildflower”
Holly. Despite her more subdued demeanor, Holly possesses dreams of her own:

“In her
imagination, she was a fairytale princess surrounded by woodland creatures and
seven dwarves who loved her collectively more than a single man ever could.”

Now that’s my
kind of story! Alas, Holly dreams of finding her one true special elf, and
despite Brody acting like a bit of a jerk to her, she continues to show him
kindness in all the best ways possible.

Vega shares a
wonderful, heart-warming tale – the best type of read for the holiday season.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Welcome to my stop on the 12 Days of Giving Hop. Thank you so much to Lia Davis for setting up this extravaganza.

Get your mind
out of the gutter! We’re not talking swinging here. Instead, it’s the concept
of adults exchanging gifts at the holidays. Some years, family do a “children
only” gift exchange, some make gifts, some draw names and others go full out.
What’s your take on gift giving?

Of course, the
first issue is the budget. What can you afford to spend? Sometimes, there is a
gift limit during an exchange. Plus, for me, it’s what can you feasibly do? I’m
not much of a creative, gift-making person. I can bake, but shipping food
stuffs isn’t the easiest thing. My fellow Black Hills Wolves pack member TL
Reeve was making these adorable hot chocolate jars for the holidays. (Leaded or
Unleaded, LOL.) Maybe I could handle that!

The next thing
to keep in mind is knowing the person you’re buying for. Don’t buy a generic
gift but something you think they would like. Easier said than done, right?
Often, I employ the tactic of “Would I want this?” and I confess, at times, I
even end up buying two!

Having a list or
guidelines can be helpful. Notoriously, a few months after the holidays my
stepmom returns or gives away presents that were bought for her (I often get
them back!). My hubby probably still has clothes I purchased 10 years ago that
he’s never worn because although I liked the style, he doesn’t.

For my birthday
in October, I put together a wish list on Amazon and gave the link to hubby. He
complained that everything on it was $10, and bought nothing. (Fortunately, my
aunt gave me a gift card and I used it toward goodies.)

As I’ve gotten
older, the surprise in gifts has decreased, which is probably why I’ve signed
up for a few Secret Santa exchanges! And I’m super sad to be missing a get-together
of friends next week where they’re doing a “naughty” gift exchange.

Tell me: What are your thoughts on
gift giving? Too stressful? Are you still like a child? What’s on your wish
list for this year? What is your favorite type of gift?

Sugar isn’t as
sweet as her big brother, Yas, believes. After he leaves the big city to
venture a small pack in the hills he’s heard about from their mom, she decides
to let loose in all the best ways. Except when all hell breaks loose and she’s
faced with some tough decisions, she runs … to her family.

After growing up
in Los Lobos, twins Derek and Tyler Baker lived through all the hardships under
the former Alpha leader. While one twin is happy playing the dating field, the
other wants something more special. They both find what they’re looking for
when newcomer Sugar comes for a visit.

Where Sugar
goes, trouble follows. It’ll take more than one member of this pack to tame the
new shifter she-wolf. But will the Winter Solstice Ménage be enough to convince
her to settle down?